In the diary-style prose she produced between 2022 and 2024, Ilma Rakusa intertwines the political and the personal, observations on the present day, and reflections on literature, nature, and everyday life. She looks with dismay at the world’s flashpoints—particularly Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine—eloquently denouncing injustice and despotism while appealing to humanity and reason. At the same time, she celebrates friendship by recalling colleagues both living and deceased, such as Serhij Zhadan, Elke Erb, and Dzevad Karahasan.
She views the world’s crises with horror and dismay, grappling with doubt and despair. Yet, with a clear eye and keen judgment, she eloquently denounces injustice and despotism, appeals to humanity and reason, and writes with deep empathy about the daily lives of those in distress.
Ilma Rakusa writes about the present with a blend of lucidity and poetry. Yet, filled with gentleness, wistfulness, and warmth, she also traverses time and space in spirit alongside long-time companions, recalling shared conversations and reflecting on texts. Born in 1946 to a Hungarian mother and a Slovenian father, Ilma Rakusa studied Slavic and Romance studies in Zurich, Paris, and St. Petersburg. She lives in Zurich and Berlin, working as a writer, translator, essayist (for publications such as NZZ and Die Zeit), and university lecturer. She is a recipient of the Berlin Literature Prize, among many other honors.
Ilma Rakusa (Prose and Poetry)
Martin Jankowski (Host)
2025 Johann Heinrich Merck Prize: “In her laudatory speech, Katharina Raabe highlighted the prize-winner’s intensity of perception, her openness toward others, and her engagement with world events—qualities fostered precisely through ‘ceaseless reading and writing’.”
“Rakusa belongs to no particular school, yet her command of form and her ‘soulful eye’—along with her keen sense of empathy—could well set a precedent. The same applies to her unfettered way of transcending boundaries. Rakusa moves fluidly between languages, genres, and cultures.” (Marie Luise Knott, Tagtigall)
The event will be held in German.
Tickets (€5 / €3 reduced) are available only at the door (Maschinenhaus).
We look forward to your questions and comments during the event here:
© Graham Hains
